The 7 Brothers Season 1
by Lupin Hallow
Summary: All from different lands, different eras. Yet they all have the same destiny.. To unite the land of Albion. ROTG, LOZ twilight princess, corpse bride, Pirates of the Carribean, Alice in wonderland, Merlin, HTTYD, house of Anubis, mazerunner(possibly), big hero 6
1. In the beginning

DISCLAIMER: SADLY, I OWN NOTHING YET. I WILL ADD A FEW CHARACTERS OF MY OWN IN, BUT FOR NOW I DONT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE BUT FIRELIGHT, MERLINS HORSE. there will be a list somewhere of the characters i DO own, if u want to see them or use them in ur own stories please ASK. I DO NOT BITE. THE WORST I CAN DO IS SAY NO. THATS ALL. Also, if you want to see different characters in this story let me know, and what ships I should put in heh heh heh... (I'm open to gay shipping as well, I don't judge!)

A 7 year old boy tore through the woods. his name was Merlin. he was an ordinary boy, in an ordianry town. but he had an extraordinary secret. the frightened child was running from their towns bully, Will. Will and his gang had taken a liking to picking on Merlin. Merlin was tall for his age, but wasn't very intimidating. he had black hair,and dark blue eyes. But today would be the best day of his life. The day he met his brothers.

Jack Frost was grinning like a fool as he flew around the small town that Jamie lived in. He was about to cast the annual snowstorm, and had to check all the children were inside and safe, being a Guardian and all. Satisfied, he began the storm with a blinding tornado of frost, snow and ice. But then he noticed something that made his heart skip a beat. A child, walking out of the forest. The child seemed no older than five, and was looking terrified as he clutched his coat tighter around himself. Them boy struggled on, but soon fell, collapsed into the thick blanket of white snow. Jack leapt in front of the boy, shielding him with his own body. Even Jack Frost couldn't stop the snowstorm then, it had gotten out of hand and full scale. The mini ice shards and hailstones cut into his body, feeling like pins. He stayed like that for about four hours, and then collapsed, full of pain and fatigue.

Jack awoke and felt a sharp sting to his cheek. "KILLING A CHILD! HOW COULD YOU!" Someone had slapped him. Tooth, why would she do that?! Jack looked up weakly from his spot on the ground. "I didn't kill him! Some people helped him before I collapsed!" Jack said angrily. "No ones listening to ya mate. I always said you were too irresponsible to be a Guardian!" Bunny snarled. Jack glared back, fury boiling up. He hadn't done anything! Then the world went fuzzy, and he was plunged into darkness.

Link rode anxiously through Hyrule, not knowing what to expect. Apparently, Zelda had turned funny, gone a bit insane to be honest. Link was worried, what the heck had happened? Then he heard a yell, and thundering horse hooves. Epona champed on her bit, getting afraid. Link whirled around, and saw some Hyrule guards galloping towards him, their swords raised menacingly. Then Epona bolted, taking off. Link held on, feeling frantic. What the hell were those guards doing? Then Epona tripped, sending Link flying.

Victor Van Dort sat in his mansion he inherited after his parents died, drawing. he was worried. people around his neighbourhood had been going missing. Victor jumped when the doorbell rang. He groaned, and abandoned his sketchbook on the armchair to answer the door. He opened it, but wanted to slam it as soon as he saw what was there. A man, but not a man. It was grotesque, deformed. He had a knife in his hand, and Victor feared it wasn't his own blood that stained the mans rugged clothes. He pushed victor over, the dark haired boy falling to the ground with with a wumf. He scrambled up against a wall, desperate to get away from the sycho. But it was too late. By the time he got up, he felt the knife slam into his chest, and he crumpled to the floor.

Jack sparrow was bored. Very bored. His whole crew had ditched him, going after Barbosa, who was trying to get the Dutchman off Will. Really, Jack didn't see the point. Having your heart cut out and put in a box just to rule the ocean...? Actually, that didn't sound that bad... Jacks thoughts were broken when he heard water roaring. He was manning the Black Pearl alone, and succeeding so far. But now, he had no idea what to do. In front of him, was something like a giant circular waterfall, with a black pit at the bottom. Jack panicked, and flung the steering wheel to one side. The ship turning threw him off his balance, and he fell over abruptly. But he couldn't stop the ship, and could only close his eyes in dismay as he felt the ship fall over the edge.

The Mad Hatter was standing on the giant chestfield battleground, watching in pure horror as the creature the Red Queen called the Jubberwalkih charged onto the field. Alice walked out bravely, but the hatter could sense her reluctance. They began to fight, Alice dodging whatever the beast threw at her. But she wasn't attacking. So the Hatter, being the crazy fool he was, decided to lend a hand. He hacked furiously, chopping one of the Jubberwalkih's huge legs off. The beast roared in pain and fury, whirling around to face its new attacker. The Hatter felt searing pain, like his skin was on fire as the monster sunk its fangs into his body.

Hiccup felt terror as he flew over Berk, seeing the mass of Aqua ice that covered the once beautiful village. He signalled his friends to try and find the Alpha, but it seemed he found it first. The next thing he knew, he was facing the horrifying dragon, Toothless stepping in front of him. The Alpha roared, and Toothless hissed angrily at it back. Then the Alpha opened its mouth, to reveal a huge set of sharp teeth. It blasted ice all over the boy and his dragon, and immense coldness was all Hiccup felt before the world went black.

Thump. Jack Frost groaned as he opened his eyes. The world was hazy, and he was dizzy. He hissed in pain as he tried to move his leg. Broken. He cursed softly. Them he heard crying. Pushing himself up onto his elbows,meh saw a dark haired child, about six or seven. He was sobbing, sat on a rock next to a little stream. They appeared to be in some sort of forest, and it was beautiful. The child had a cut lip, and a bruise on his neck. Jacks first instinct was to comfort the kid, but then he heard a horse whinny. He looked around, and saw the creature lying nearby. Jack crawled over to it, finding another boy, about seventeen he looked, lying next to the horse. Them the boy woke up. He gasped. "Hey! Calm down! It's okay!" Jack said, frantically trying to hold down the struggling teen. He seemed to calm. "Where am I?" He asked, looking confused. "I don't know, ask him" Jack said, looking at the child. "I'm Link" the boy said, looking worriedly at the child before striding over to him. "You okay kid?" Link asked. The child gasped, and fell of the rock. "Careful" link said, helping to child to stand. But he seemed to have a sprained ankle. "What's your name?" Jack asked. "Merlin" the boy replied anxiously. Then they heard another groan. A black floppy haired boy stepped out of the shadows, looking dazed and a bit ill. "I'm dead.." He muttered. "Dude... You're not dead" Jack reassured him. The new guy seemed about twenty, but looked a bit younger. He was pale, with grey eyes, and wearing a kind of suit thing. "I'm victor" the guy said, blinking at the three. Everyone introduced themselves. "Okay, how many of you guys are there?!" Merlin said as he saw a pirate stagger out of a bush. Well, there was Jack Frost, Link, Victor, Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, Hiccup and finally Epona. Merlin was looking sick and sleepy, so all of them agreed to put Merlin on Epona and help Jack Frost stagger along.

They reached a small town, filled with children, and people. It was evening, and not many were out, but there was a gang of kids in the town. merlin whined when he saw them. They avoided the kids, and Merlin led them to his house. It was small, but big enough for Merlin and his mother. "Thank you so much for bringing him back. I will have to have a word with Williams parents, Merlin hasn't mentioned anything about this before..." Hunith trailed off, looking at her son who was sitting next to a campfire. "It's okay" Victor said. "Do you want to stay here for a bit? I mean, if you've got nowhere else to go" Hunith said slowly. Jack Frost nodded. "I'm in" he declared, wanting to help Merlin in any way he could. The others agreed, not even knowing where they were and deciding it was safe to stay here for the time being.

So that was how it happened. Merlin was driven slowly out of his depression with the brothers help, and they became very close to one another. But the time came when it was no longer safe for Merlin to be in Ealdor, the little village. So he set off on the best journey of his life, to find his fate and his destiny.


	2. The Dragon's Call

Merlin reached the top of a hill and stoppped. He'd been riding his black mare, Firelight, for hours and was tired, but he couldnt hold back a grin. Camelot! The magnificent castle of King Uther stood before him. Merlin gazed down in wonder. he had hardly ever left the small village where he was born, and certainly never visited anywhere as grand as Camelot. It looked even more incredible than he'd imagined-the vast stone walls, the imposing battlements, the majestic turrets. And he was going to live there!

His mother, Hunith, had written a letter to the king's physician, Gaius, asking him to look after her son. It wasn't that Merlin couldn't take care of himsef-Hunith knew that he could. In fact, that was what worried her. The problem was, Merlin was...special.

All his life, Merlin had lived with his seven brothers. Jack Frost, a fun loving spirit. Link, a hardened battle warrior. Victor Van Dort, keeper of the underworld. Jack Sparrow, a fierce pirate. the Mad Hatter, a crazy man who loved making hats. And finally, Hiccup, a dragon trainer. They all meant the world to Merlin, and he didn't know what he'd do without them.

He shrugged his bag higher onto his shoulders, took a last look at the veiw behind him-where, if he squinted, he could still see the speck of Ealdor, his home town-and nudged on Firelight.

The hustle and bustle, the colors, the noise! Never had a place felt so alive. Not many spared a glance fot the dark haired teen on his horse, but Merlin couldn't care less. Why should they look at him when there was so much else to see? he laughed happily, the sound swallowed up in the hubbub of the city. He found a farmer who was more than happy to look after Firelight, as long as he could use the mare for work. Then suddenly, underneath the shouting and laughter and children's cries, he heard the thump, thump, thumpof a drum.

Merlin pushed his way through the crowds, eager to see what was happening. he was near the heart of the city now, the king's palace. Could that be... Yes! coming out onto was goi the balcony, the king himself, Uther Pendragon. But Merlin hadnt expected that the lord of such a lively city would look so harsh. he soon discovered the reason for the king's displeasure.

Guards dressed in chain mail led forward a peasant. the man's hands were tied behind his bacj, and he looked exhausted and hopeless. King Uther began to adress the crowd. 'Let this serve as a lesson to all,' he said. 'This man, Thomas James Collins, is judged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. Such practices are banned, on penalty of death.'

Merlin trembled. This man had been condemned to death-for using magic! the smile was instantly swept off his face. suddenly his new life in Camelot no longer felt like an exciting adventure, it was dangerous here. Thomas Collins was led up onto a raised platform, where a man with an axe stood waiting for him. Merlin knew what going to happen next. He saw the king's arm come down sharply, the signal for the axeman's to do the same, and Merlin turned away. but he couldn't black out the swish of the blade or the thud that followed it.

the sound had scarcely died away when Uther began speaking again."when I came to this land, this Kingdom was mired in chaos. But with the people's help, magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival-to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery." The kind was no longer stern. He smiled, inviting the people to join in the celebration. But Merlin did. It feel like celebrating- and he was not alone.

The crowd parted to let through an old woman. She lifted her tear stained face to the king and cried: "there is only one evil in this land and it is not magic- it is you!" "Mary, no!" Came a voice from the crowd, but the woman was too upset to notice. "You took my son... And I promise you- before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears!" Her gaze flickered to the axeman's block before returning to Uther. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth- a son for a son!"

"Seize her!" Cried the king. His guards ran forward as he shouted, but they were too late. Mary grabbed a pendant from around her neck, and muttered a spell. The pendant glowed. Suddenly a whirlwind sprang up from nowhere. And then, in an instant, the woman was gone, leaving nothing but a few floating leaves as evidence of her presence. Merlin looked back at the kind. This was sorcery, and the boy could tell that Uther would make no allowances for a mothers grief. The woman had signed her own death warrant with her spell. That was what magic led to in this land. Merlin lowered his eyes, suddenly anxious the king might meet his gaze, pick him out of the all people in the crowd and realise what he was. He didn't think they'd seen the last of Mary Collins, and he wondered what exactly her threat meant.

Merlins fears dropped away as he entered the palace and concentrated on finding Gaius's chambers. As court physician, Gaius was responsible for all the health of not only the king, but of all the people who lived in Camelot. Merlin wasn't sure if cleaning wounds and looking after sick people sounded all that much fun, but there were lots of worse jobs- and it was an important position.

A sign directed him towards a door at the top of a narrow stone staircase. It stood slightly open, but he knocked anyway. There was no answer. After a moment, Merlin called out "hello?". Still nothing. He reached out a hand and pushed open the door. It swung open, revealing a large room full of wonders, flasks of bright liquid, strangely shaped bottles, peculiar plants and more books than he'd ever seen in his life. Merlin stepped inside, dropping his pack by the door and gazing around. In one corner stood a pallet bed-perhaps Gaius slept as well as worked in here-and a twisting staircase led up to a high ledge which housed a collection of curious cabinets. Rummaging through one of these was a silver-haired man, his back to Merlin. The boy gave a small cough to attract the doctors attention. Started, Gaius swung around- and lost his balance. There was a dreadful splintering sound as the wooden rail behind him gave way and a flash of a terrified face. And Merlin the nervous boy was no longer there. In his place was Merlin the warlock, for this was Merlins secret. All his life, he'd been able to do magic.

He could feel the magic building inside him, filling him with fire. The heat rose behind his eyes, giving them a golden glow. Everything slowed as magic swept through the chamber. Gaius now fell in slow-motion, almost suspended in midair. Merlins gaze darted around the room, and spotted the pallet bed. Power flared up within him again and sent the straw stuffed mattress skidding across the floor to rest beneath the falling physician. Then he released the magic and let everything return to normal. Time speeded up again- and Gaius made a soft landing. Merlin wanted to cheer. He'd done it! He'd saved the doctor! But the. He remembered Thomas Collins, who'd had his head cut off for sorcery, and realised how stupid it was to use magic in Camelot. He'd acted without thinking-he just couldn't allow a man to fall to his death. Merlin hoped that it had al, happened to quickly for the doctor to realise what he'd done.

But Gaius hadn't been fooled. "What did you just do?" He was sitting up now, staring at Merlin. "Tell me! My bed wasn't here before, and you couldn't possibly have moved it in time!". The boy took a deep breath. "It was nothing to do with me!" Gaius was striding towards him now, and Merlin took a step backwards. "I want to know where you learned how to do it," the physician continued. "Where did you study magic?!". Merlin thought about running. But how far would he get before the guards found him and he ended up like poor Thomas? Then he noticed Gaius didn't look angry, or shocked, or horrified. He looked astonished. So the boy made a big decision. His mother had told him that this man would look after him. That he was clever and wise. So Merlin was going to trust him.

"I've-I've never studied magic. Or been taught. I was born like this" the young warlock stammered. "That's impossible" Gaius snapped. "Who are you anyway?". Merlin almost laughed. So much for his big revelation! But at least the physician hadn't called the guards or had him arrested. "I'm merlin" he said. "Huniths son". Gaius frowned. "Huniths son? But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!"

Merlin wondered if it would be rude if he pointed out it was Wednesday. He did anyway. When Gaius realised he was who he said he was, he told Merlin where to find t the room that would be his from now on. Merlin picked up his bag and headed towards the staircase Gaius had indicated. Then Gaius called out "Merlin, thank you". The boy knew exactly what gaius meant.

The sight of his new quarters put a smile on Merlins face. He'd never had a room of his own before, and it was crowded sleeping with seven brothers around you. He'd never slept on a proper bed before, and he knew that this sparesly furnished room would seem humble and mean in Camelot, but for him it was luxury. There were pillows and blankets! A cupboard! A table! And looking at it all, he realised he was no longer an ordinary village boy, no longer a child at his mothers side. He had his own place in the world now, and his new life stretched out in front of him, full of wonders. He wandered over to the window and leaned on the sill. Blazing torches were scattered like stars across the city below. It was beautiful. And although magic and enchantments were outlawed here, the place seemed utterly magical, and Merlin was happy.

Gaius had kept him busy on errands until Merlin found himself a proper job, although what that might be Merlin wasn't sure. He wasn't afraid of hard work, back in Ealdor, he and his brothers had to help with the farming. But merlin didn't really fancy becoming a kitchen boy or servant, although he was good with animals so being a stable lad wouldn't be all that bad.

Having delivered all the doctors medicines, Merlin crossed the training yards on his way back to Gaius' chambers, and paused for a second to watch what was going on. A crowd of young Knights were laughing as one of them, a blond haired lad, complained that a target was in the wrong place. His servant picked up the target and began to move it, just as a dagger slammed into the middle. The servant froze to the spot in alarm.

"Don't stop!" Called the knight. "We want some moving target practice!". Merlin watched with a frown as the boy scurried back and forth across the yard. The knight got the bullseye every time, and Merlin knew these type of people. Even back in Ealdor, with William who thought he was better than everyone else. Merlin glanced up and saw a girl who didn't look impressed. She was shaking a cloak out of an upstairs window, and there was definitely a frown on her faces she watched the blond lad laughing.

Merlin was pleased to see that he wasn't the only one who thought the knight was a prat. He was getting more and more annoyed as he watched the servant weave his way across the yard. Suddenly the boy dropped the target. He dived after it as it rolled away, and the servant and target both landed at Merlins feet. Merlin looked into the boys anxious face and decided it had gone far enough. His brothers had warned him, especially Link, to not provoke anyone, but he couldn't just stand by and watch this happen!

"Come on, you've had your fun, my friend" Merlin called to the knight. The lad raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Do I know you?" He asked. Merlin held a hand out towards the knight. "I'm Merlin". The hand was ignored. "I don't know you, yet you called me "friend"". Merlin looked into the mans arrogant face. He was suddenly aware of the audience that had come to watch what was going on. "That was my mistake," Merlin said. "I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass".

There were some laughs from the crowd. Merlin began to turn away, his job done. But the young knight wasn't finished with him yet. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?" Now it was the knight who was getting the laughs. "No" Merlin replied. "Well I suggest you learn. Do you want me to help you?" Merlin shook his head. This guy obviously wasn't used to people standing up to him and he didn't like it. But there was now at Merlin. Was going to backdown to such a prat. The blond didn't know who he was facing. He may have muscles, and the whole strong, superior thing going on, but Merlin had magic. Merlin smiled. "Oh I wouldn't if I were you". "Why, what're you going to do to me?" The knight said. Merlins smile grew slyly. "You've no idea.." The knight beckoned as if to let Merlin throw a punch. Wow, really? Link and Jack Sparrow had taught him about these kind of people. "They think they know it all, every sword fighting move in existence. But really, they're dumb. With the right dodge, you can send them spawning" he remembered Link saying. Dodging. Hmm. Well, better to know if this guy really did know his stuff. If he did, Merlin would leave him alone.. Maybe. If he didn't, well, that'd be funny.

Merlin threw a lazy punch, not really even trying. The knight grabbed Merlins wrist and twisted it behind his back. Well Merlin had seen that before. He bit back the pain, and heard the knight growl "I could have you thrown in gaol for that". Still defiant, even through the pain, Merlin replied "who d'you think you are - the king?" The lad grinned. "No, I'm his son. Arthur". Merlin called himself stupid a million times as a pair of chain mailed guards came forward and began to drag him off to a cell.

What awful luck. His first day in Camelot, and he'd already made an enemy of the second most important man in the kingdom. Oh well. Surely things could only get better from here...

Things could only get better-ha! A rotten tomato hit Merlin in the face and he shut his eyes to avoid the stinking juice getting in thought things were looking up when Gaius came to see him in his cell that morning to tell him he'd "pulled a few strings" to get him out-until Gaius mentioned that there was just one condition to this early release...and now here Merlin was, head and wrists locked in the stocks, trying to endure the barrage of old fruit and vegetables that was his punishment.

But he was thankful for one thing - it took his mind off the strange dreams he'd had in the cell. Just like the night before, it had seemed that someone was calling his name - a deep melodic voice that echoed in his head. But there had been no one there - no one even nearby. So it surely must've been a dream..

And here was another dream - it seemed the spray of rotten missiles had finally stopped. Could it be true? Merlin opened his eyes. This time it was no dream. No fruit was flying towards him. Instead there was just a girl standing nearby. She looked familiar, and then Merlin realised where he'd seen her before - this was the girl who'd been watching Prince Arthur from a window and frowning. But now she was smiling shyly. "Hello" she said. "I'm Guinevere. I'm lady Morganas maid". "I'm Merlin" Merlin put a hand out for her to shake as far as he could. "Although most people just call me 'idiot'".

Gwen Didn't laugh as she shook his hand, she looked concerned that he might actually consider himself stupid. "No, I saw what you did - it was so brave. But of course you weren't going to beat Arthur". Merlin tried to shake his head. "Oh, I could beat him". Of course he didn't tell her how. That would probably end in his execution. She seemed impressed, even as she questioned his answer. "You think? Because you don't look like one of those big muscly fellows, and Arthurs a real rough tough save the world kinda man..." She trailed off as Merlin gave her an affronted look. The. She tried again."no, I'm sure your stronger than you look... It's just...". "I'm in disguise" Merlin said firmly. Gwen smiled. "Well it's great that you stood up to him. Arthurs a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero." Merlin grinned at her. He'd like to believe that. But a crowd of children were gathering near the stocks again and he could see the bags of rotten fruit. If that was how they treated their heroes, he'd hate to see what they did to their enemies. "Excuse me Guinevere, my fans are waiting" Merlin said.

Later Merlin sat down to eat with Gaius. This time the old doctor didn't have to complain that Merlin hadnt washed, the boy had scrubbed from head to toe to get rid of the smell of sour juice.

"D'you want some vegetables with that?" Gaius asked, indicating merlin plate with a knowing smile. Merlin smiled back, but he knew that behind the smile, Gaius was still unhappy. "I know you're still angry with me" Merlin said. They physician sighed. "Your mother asked me to look after you. The one thing someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do?" He shook his head. "What did your mother say about your gifts?". Merlin shrugged. "That is was special". "You are special. The likes of which I've never seen before. Magic requires spells, it takes years of study. What I saw you do was elemental, instinctive. You do it without even thinking about it".

Merlin thought that Gaius seemed to know all about sorcery, even though it was forbidden. Plucking up some courage, he asked, "did you ever study magic?". "Uther banned it twenty years ago" the man insisted, but Merlin noticed he hadn't actually answered the question. He didn't press the matter. Then Gaius began speaking again. "Magic corrupts, Merlin. You're too young to know this, but people used to use magic for the wrong reasons back then. It threw the kingdom into chaos, and Uther made it his mission to destroy anything magical, even the dragons". The dragons! Merlin had heard tales of them, the huge flying beasts that breathed fire and could swallow a knight on his horse in a Single gulp. But they were suppose to be magnificent, and very magical. "What, all of them? Gone?" Merlin asked, appalled. Gaius nodded. "He feared them. There is one dragon however he chose to keep, as an example. He jmprisoned it in a cave deep within the castle, where no one can free it".

Merlins mind was in a whirl. There was a dragon, here! Be,ow his very feet! But he had no time to dwell on it. Gaius had changed the subject and was already listing his chores for the next afternoon. "Now, eat up. I need you to take this to Lady Hele, she must have it for her voice". "Lady Helen? Who's that?". "Yes, yes, you were... Otherwise engaged when she arrived last Helen of Mora is Uther's favourite singer, to sing at the celebrations tomorrow. Assuming that she's given the herbal mixture, of course". Merlin to the hint, and walked off to deliver it. But his thoughts weren't on some boring old singer. They were deep below the castle flying with the dragon.

Merlin had worried at first that he'd keep getting lost in Camelot's huge citadel, so much bigger than anywhere he ws used to - but it hadn't taken him long to get his bearings, and there were always plenty of guards and servants around who were happy enough to point him in the right direction. So he found Lady Helens chambers without a problem, and knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Merlin waited a few moments and then pushed the door open, just to check he did have the right room. It seemed that he did. The clothes and trinkets scattered around the chambers were those of a noblewomans anyway. He decided to leave Gaius' herbal mixture on the dressing table where it would surely be seen.

As he did so, he caught sight of something that seemed out of place in such a grand room - a small, crudely made, straw doll. Curious, Merlin reached out for it, and as he did so, he spotted the edge of a book, just peeking out from under a discarded scarf. He brushed the scarf aside to see the book better, and what a strange volume it looked!

He traced a finger over the runes on the cover, and was just about to open it when he heard a noise outside the room. Merlin hastily dropped the book back on the table, and tried to look as though he hadn't been anywhere near it. The newcomer was a beautiful dark haired woman - but her lovely face was harsh and menacing as she stared at Merlin. "What are you doing here?" She demanded. Merlin answered somewhat shakily "I was asked to deliver this", looking at the potion and then hastily leaving without looking back.

But if he had turned his head, he might have caught a glimpse of Lady Helens reflection in the mirror, and he might have wondered why the glass showed the old vengeful face of Mary Collins.

Merlin was so busy thinking about that strange book in Lady Helens rok. He didn't notice Arthur until Merlin had walked right past him, keeping his head down, but he found a human wall of several young men in his face. "How's the knee walking coming along?" The prince jeered with a grin. Merlin tried to edge past the Knights, repeating the same thing in his head over and over. Stay out of trouble. Stay out of trouble. Your brothers won't be happy if you get into trouble, and neither will Gaius.

"Ah, don't run away!" Arthur called mockingly after him. Merlins eyes narrowed and he turned to face the prince. "From you?" He sneered. "Thank god. I thought you were dead as well as dumb". Merlin smiled a dangerous smile. "Look, I've told you you're and ass - I just didn't realise you were a royal one. Ooh, what're you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?" Merlin smirked. "I could take you apart with one blow!" Arthur boasted.

A.N: Merlin will not be as disadvantaged here, I don't like the parts where they make Merlin look dumb in this bit. So he will be a bit more agile.

"I could take you apart with less than that" Merlin said truthfully. "Are you sure?" Arthur asked. A few of the Knights jeered "fight!". Arthur tosses a mace at Merlin, who catches it with ease, but is surprised at its weight to the ones he used to practice with. Arthur started swinging his expertly. He grinned. "I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth". Merlin realised that although he knew this weapon, Arthur was clearly better than him. Without magic, the only weapons he had at his disposal were words. "Wow - and how long have you been training to be a prat?". "You can't adress me like that" Arthur said, astonished. "Sorry, how long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?" Merlin knew his only hope was to rile the prince up, force him to make mistakes, or be swatted like a fly.

Merlin fell to the ground beneath arthurs blows, and glared. Oh how he loathed this arrogant man. How he wanted the crowd to be jeering at the prince instead. He wanted it so much, that it happened. The familiar fire rose inside his body, and his eyes glowed. Arthurs mace became tangled in some tools that were hanging overhead in the tool shop. Then he tripped over a box that appeared in his path, stumbled over a strangely taut rope, and dropped his weapon. Merlin was loving the thrill of being the one with the advantage. And suddenly the prince was at Merlins feet.

" do you want to give up?" Merlin asked. The prince looked incredulous. "To you?". Merlin gave him a victorious grin. But it dropped from his face as soon as he saw who was watching him from over the crowds. Gaius. And he looked furious. Merlin realised with a jolt that he'd gone to far, lowered himself to Arthurs level and had made him risk his life for his pride.

He was almost relieved to see the smile was back on Arthurs face as he took advantage of Merlins distraction to knock him to the floor, his mace cutting into Merlins shoulder. I took every ounce of Merlins strength not to cry out. But as the guards rushed forward to take Merlin back to the cells, the prince spoke. "He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one". He pulled out a hand and heaved merlin to his feet.

"There's something about you, Merlin. But I just can't quite put my finger on it". And as Merlin hurried off to Arthurs chambers, unsure whether he was unlucky or lucky, he hoped arthur wouldn't spend to much time working out what was different about Camelots latest resident.

It was obvious that gaius was dying to shout at Merlin, but he restrained himself until they were safely out of earshot of anyone else. Once in his chambers though, he exploded. "How could you be so foolish! Magic should be studied, and mastered, not used for idiotic pranks!". "He needed to be taught a lesson" Merlin knew the doctor was right, but that made him belligerent. "Anyway, what is there to master? I could do magic before I could talk!" Gaius wasnt impressed with that argument. "Then by now you should have learned how to control yourself!" Angry and ashamed, Merlin stalked off to his room.

"Merlin, take off your shirt" Gaius said as he walked into Merlins room a little while later. With a hiss of pain, Merlin did as he was told and let Gaius observe his bleeding shoulder from where Arthur had hit him. "Why am I like this?" Merlin asked as Gaius cleaned the bleeding wound. "I'm not a monster, am I?". Gaius seemed horrified. "Don't ever think that!". "Then why am I like this?! Please, I need to know why" Merlin said. But Gaius, Gaius who knew so much, had no answer to give him.

That evening, Uther was dining with Lady Helen. Or so he thought. He was alone with the beautiful singer when the conversation turned to Arthur. "Will everyone be there tomorrow? How about your son?" She asked. "It seems a shame not to have met him". Uther sighed. "That's Arthur for you!". "Poor child, it can't have been easy to grow up without a mother." The loss of his wife, Ygraine, was not a subject that Uther wished to dwell on and his face hardened, but the woman continued regardless. "That bond between mother and son is so hard to replace." For a second the king was caught up in the grief that, for twenty years had accompanied him, so he failed to notice the hatred that appeared momentarily on his guests lovely face.

While Uther dined, Merlin was dreaming of the deep voice again. Long after the king and his guest had retired to their chambers, the dreams continued, and the young warlock twitched restlessly in his sleep. And then he awoke, and the voice came again. It pulsed inside his head, and thus time he was sure. It was real. He jumped out of bed and made his way to the nearest corridor, being very careful not to disturb Gaius who was sleeping soundly. Somehow, he just knew where to go, he could detect the voices presence, feel where it had come from. As he crept down towards the dungeons, he heard the voice again, loud and clear.

There were two guards sitting by the entrance to the cells, playing a game of dice. Merlin got them out of the way, and easy job for a warlock. Suddenly, the men found the dice bouncing off the table, heading for the far corner. The men ran after the dice, but mysteriously they kept rolling out of reach. Distracted, neither guard noticed the slim shadow slip by.

And then, agpfter scrambling down what seemed like hundreds of steps, Merlin was suddenly in a cavern deep below the castle. He stood on a small stone ledge, staring out into endless darkness. Who and why had they called him here? "Where are you?" Merlin shouted into the darkness.

"I am here" the sound startled him. But it was the same voice, the same one that'd been calling him. "How small you are!" It said now. Merlin fearfully stepped forward above the abyss as the voice continued. "For such a great destiny!"

And he could suddenly see who had been calling him. A creature he never expected to meet, the one who had haunted him ever since Gaius had spoken of it. The Great Dragon, Kilgarrah. But what did it mean? " what destiny?" Merlin asked. The dragon looked him in the eye. "Your gift was given to you for a reason, Merlin" it said calmly. "Arthur is the is the once and future king who will unite the land of Albion. But he faces many threats, from friend and foe alike" the dragon said. "I don't see what this has to do with me" Merlin frowned, remembering the obnoxious boy. "Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion." Merlin glared. "If anyone wants to go and kill him, they can go ahead. In fact, I'll give them a hand!".

The dragon seemed amused by his reply. "None of us can choose our destiny Merlin, nor can we escape it". The massive creature launched itself into the air. Merlin was shocked to see the vast metal bracelet that encircled on of its scaly hind legs, with a chain attached that anchored the dragon to the rocks. The links seemed to be stretched almost to breaking point as the dragon flew up to a high ledge, far above Merlin. "Wait!" The boy called in despair. "I need to know more!". But his words fell hopelessly into the darkness, and their was no reply.

Merlin decided to say nothing to Gaius of his nocturnal adventures. The physician seemed to accept the boys bleary eyes and yawns as a normal state of affairs. He'd just asked Merlin to get up so that he could deliver a sleeping draught to Morgana, who was suffering from nightmares.

Merlin was quite pleased to be given the task despite having to drag himself out of bed. He'd heard about the beauty of the Kings ward, and was interested in getting a glimpse of her for himself. But he got more than a glimpse it seemed...

There was no answer when he knocked on Morganas door. No one in camelot ever seemed to be in. But, as he let himself in and made his way to the table to leave the potion for her, he discovered that he was mistaken. Morgana was there, she was behind a screen getting changed. Mortified, Merlin turned to make a hasty exit. But to his horror, Morgana began to speak.

Merlin froze. She must have heard him come in and think he was someone else. His night in the cell would seem like a picnic compared to the punishment for spying on the Kings ward. And she was actually confiding in him, or whoever she thought he was, about her feelings for prince Arthur! How she didn't care a bit about him, how she resented to accompany him to the feast that night.

"If he wants me to go with him, he should invite me, and he hasn't... So it means I'm going by myself. Pass me that dress, will you Gwen?" She asked. Merlin looked around for the dress. He had no choice but to play along until he could make his escape. "Where are you?" Morgana asked impatiently. "Here!" Merlin tried in a high - pitched voice. To his amazement, the appalling impersonation seemed to pass muster. But how long could he keep this up? "Gwen?" Morgana said again. "I'm here" came another voice. It was the real gwen, the girl who'd spoken to him in the stocks. She smiled in amusement as Merlin hurriedly passed the dress to her and ran. That's been a lot scarier than facing the Dragon!

The great banquet that Uther had planned required a lot of servants, and Gaius had arranged for Merlin to be one of them. The boy didn't mind, he enjoyed just looking at the great hall with its rich walk coverings and hanging chandeliers, and the beautifully carved wooden tables laden with more food than merlin had ever seen in his life before. This feast would feed Merlins entire village for a year, but he was in too good mood to begrudge the guests of their meal.

His mood improved even further when the Lady Morgana entered the room. Almost every eye in the room turned to her. "God have mercy!" Prince Arthur whispered. Morgana was wearing a dress that Merlin recognised, but he wasn't prepared for the sight of her in it.

"She looks great doesn't she?" Said a voice at his elbow. He barely turned to acknowledge Gwen standing beside him. "Some people are just born to be queen." Merlin was horrified. This vision of beauty was going to marry that prat Arthur? "No!" He said.

"I hope so, one day. Not that I'd want to be her-who'd want to marry Arthur?" Gwen rolled her eyes at the Prince, and Merlin couldn't help nodding in agreement. Everyone sat down, Uther at the top of the table in the middle, Morgana and Arthur on either side of him. Merlin found himself stationed behind the prince, and hoped arthur wouldn't notice him. But for now, Arthurs attention was politely fixed on the lady in the centre of the room as his father stood to introduce her. "We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity," the king announced. "It had brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures. But few can compare with the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."

The audience applauded as the woman composed herself to sing. She grasped a pendant at her neck as if it were a good luck charm. The first sweet notes echoed around the hall, and Merlin smiled. How great it was to be here, to hear such wonderful singing...

But Merlin was magical, and magic spoke to him. Something was not right here. In fact, it was terribly, terribly wrong. This was no ordianry song, no ordinary voice. He stuffed his fi gets in his ears, trying to block out the siren sounds.

All around him, the courtiers were collapsing as the voice wove its spell. Cobwebs grew over their sleeping forms as food fitted on their plates in front of them. Only Merlin stood awake, and aware as the singer moves down the hall towards the top table-towards the king and his son. Merlin was pretty sure it was arthur she was watching, but why?

As she drew a dagger from her sleeve and raised it high, he had the answer. She was going to kill Arthur. And suddenly the things he'd said to the Great Dragon about letting anyone kill Arthur were just words. He could never stand back and just watch someone be murdered, and he realised, he didn't hate Arthur, not really.

The golden fire rose in his eyes, and time slowed. Up above the singer, the chain holding the giant chandelier snapped. The great metal wheel smashed down, the knife clattering to the ground. The song died. And the courtiers began to wake.

The courtiers brushed cobwebs from their faces and stared in astonishment at the figure on the floor. The last thing they remembered was a beautiful singer standing in front of them, now there was an ugly old crone lying beneath the fallen chandelier. Uther and Arthur stood up, moving forward to see better. Merlin too was amazed at the transformation, but suddenly everything made sense. He recognised the old woman-it was Mary Collins. She had disguised herself with magic to try and kill Uther's child as he had killed hers. Merlin couldn't have let Arthur be murdered, but part of him found it hard to blame Mary for her actions.

In front of them, the old woman raised her head. The hatred in her eyes as she stared at father and son was intense. With a last gasp of effort, she reached out for the dagger lying in front of her. Then with all her might, she threw the blade, it spinning towards Arthurs heart.

None could save him. Still dazed from the enchanted sleep, no one was thinking clearly. No one could move quick enough. Except Merlin.

The heat soared through his body, his eyes flashed gold and the world slowed down. The dagger spun lazily across the room, turning sluggish circles as Merlin dived towards the prince, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him down.

The blade thudded into the back of Arthur's chair, and time speeded up again.

Mary Collins lived just long enough to see her plan fail. Arthur lived, and the king would continue to slaughter magic users without a second thought. As the courtiers began to cheer, the grieving mother took her final breath and lay still.

Suddenly it was Merlin who felt like he was in a magical daze. He was surrounded by cheering, applauding people, and one of them was the king himself. He didn't, couldn't, suspect that Merlin had used magic, could he?

"You have saved my boys life," he said to Merlin. "You shall be rewarded!" Merlin tried to look modest, but he was bursting with excitement inside. Riches! Comfort!

"This merits something quite special," said the king. "You shall be awarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthurs manservant." The whole room cheered, except Merlin and Arthur. This was a reward?

Merlin escaped from the feast as soon as possible and fled to his own room. People seemed to want to congratulate him on becoming Prince Arthurs new manservant. Did they really thing that being at the beck and call of that big headed idiot was a good thing?! He just hoped Arthur wouldn't try to throw daggers at him, like he'd done with his last servant.

Merlin looked up in alarm as the door opened, but it was only Gaius. The old man carried a bundle under his arm, which he placed on the table. "Seems you're a hero" Gaius said with a smile.

Merlin smiled back. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"No. I knew it from the moment I met you. You saved my life, remember?" Merlin shrugged. "But that was magic." "Yes." Gaius nodded. "And now it seems we have finally found a use for it. You saved Arthurs life, maybe that's it's purpose..."

My destiny? The Dragons words found themselves in Merlin's mind. The reason for his magic, his gift. Could it be true after all?

Gaius pushed the cloth wrapped bundle towards him. "This book was given to me when u was you age. But I've a feeling it will be more of use to you then it was to me."

Merlin carefully lifted the cloth. There lay a large leather bound book with sliver clasps. He clicked them open. Inside...

"But this is a book of magic!" Page after page of spells, charms and enchantments, pictures of flowers and herbs and magical beasts... "Yes. Which is why you must keep it hidden." Gaius told him solemnly. Merlin grinned. "I will study every word" he told the good, kind man in front of him.

A shout came from outside. "Merlin! Prince Arthur wants you right away!" Gaius looked amused. "Your destiny is calling. You'd better go find out what he wants." Gaius said. Putting the book carefully to one side, Merlin jumped to his feet and ran off towards his future.


End file.
